


The Hogwarts Witch Trials

by Jarlkung



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 22:40:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17374571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarlkung/pseuds/Jarlkung
Summary: Hogwarts, a small town near Salem, has lately experienced a lot of strange events. Like in Salem, that which is unknown will also be feared and dreaded. Witchcraft is being blamed as the culprit, not only of the strange events but also of much misfortune. The late 17th century is a hard time for witches and wizards, which all would soon be aware of. The events that would take place here are later going to be known as the Hogwarts witch trials...





	The Hogwarts Witch Trials

The Hogwarts Witch Trials

 

An alternate universe story, by S. Friberg, O. Sauer, R. Rasmusson and J. Vikner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hogwarts, a small town near Salem, has lately experienced a lot of strange events. Like in Salem, that which is unknown will also be feared and dreaded. Witchcraft is being blamed as the culprit not only of the strange events but also of much misfortune. The late 17th century is a hard time for witches and wizards, which all would soon be aware of. The events that would take place here are later going to be known as the Hogwarts witch trials...

 

ACT 1. The Young Witch

“I’m not a witch I swear!” Screamed McGonagall. The old woman stared down at the crowd that started to gather around her.  
“Please I beg you” she cried, while the town's priest approached the pole she was tied down to. The priest spoke up, “I, Vernon Dursley, sentence you to death for the crime of being a witch.” The priest held a bible close to his heart in his left arm and in his right, he lifted a lit torch high up in the cold misty air. Dursley turned to the public and raised his voice to make sure everyone heard him. “God loves all who follows his mighty light. What he does not love is a witch walking among us, and this woman is one. She is the reason the crops have gone bad. You people must see that one apple spoils the basket. And if we don’t do anything about this foul wrench, we will all perish. So, what do you good people of the town Hogwarts want I ask you! Shall we burn her?”  
The crowd was captured by Dursleys speech and started to cheer “Burn that witch” over the deafening cries of the old woman on the pole. The only three who weren’t cheering were three kids in the front. Harry Potter, the adopted son of the town priest. Hermione Granger, a generous girl born into a completely ordinary family, and Ron Weasley, the sixth out of seven children the Weasley family had. They had grown up together in this town and had been friends for a long time. Harry whispered to Hermione, “this is the third woman this month, how many more women do you think are going to die?” Hermione didn’t answer Harry, she was too focused on staring into the poor old woman’s eyes that started to melt out their sockets.  
Dursley adjusted his belt buckle over his very large belly. “Now everyone, let’s go to the church of God and pray together.”  
Everyone followed the fat priest like sheep inside the church and listened to him as he began the sermon. Harry followed his stepfather up to the altar and helped prepare yet another Sunday sermon. Ron and Hermione sat down next to each other and looked upon the four big stained glass windows that ran along the church walls. Each window had a different animal on it. The first one is a badger with yellow colours around it, the second is an eagle surrounded by blue glass, the third is a lion surrounded by blood red glass, and the final is a serpent in a dark green colour.  
Ron was so distracted by the mesmerising glass that he didn’t notice that he missed the entire sermon pass by, only in the end did he wake up from his trance-like state to hear Dursley finish the sermon by happily telling everyone, “now that the witch is dead, we can finally grow some healthy crops.” Hermione clenched her fists and whispered to Ron, “that means they won’t stop burning witches until those crops start to grow, I must do something” she continued.  
“What are you going to do?” Ron asked.  
“I’m going to visit the farm every day until next Sunday and cast a spell to slowly but surely grow the crops.”  
“Are you crazy?!” Ron hissed back.  
“I might be, but I have to do something or more women will die,” Hermione said while choking on her tears.  
“Is there even a spell like that? Ron asked.  
“Yes, its name is Herbivicus.”  
Ron got a concerned look on his face, “I know that I can’t stop you Hermione, but please be careful, I don’t want them to find you.”

The next few days Hermione walked the same path to the farm through the small forest that separated the farm and the village. The dark forbidden forest surrounded the rest of the farm and she would never dare to walk that far. She made sure to not walk on the road or in a visible range of someone who was. She also made sure that nobody would notice that she was missing by heading out around mid-day, every day when every person was at work. Even though she snuck the whole way to the edge of the farm she always hurried her step so that she could be back before someone would notice her absence.  
Hermione ran back from her last day at visiting the farm for her mission to save the rest of the women in the town. The cold rain didn’t bother her, she smiled happily on her way back because she realised that she still had time to finish the supper while it still was hot. She even realised that she could go back to focusing on her studies once she was done growing the crops. However, her smile quickly disappeared when she heard a screaming boy in the distance. “Help me, please, someone help me!” The voice cried out.  
Hermione recognised the voice and wondered where she had heard it before. She followed the voice that cried out for help until she, in the distance, recognised a familiar figure, Draco Malfoy. Without thinking she found herself running to help the boy. Hermione asked Draco “What is wrong?”  
Draco looked up with his red swollen eyes and whimpered “my leg, my leg is stuck under the rocks, I was out looking for berries when I slipped on some moss and my foot fell between the rocks. Hermione looked at the rocks and realised, that Draco will die if he doesn’t get to a doctor, fast. Due to the severity of the situation, she quickly realised there was no way for her to run back and ask for help before he would freeze to death. Hermione thought through every alternative that she could do. Either she could leave him to die and not risk herself getting questioned about why she was out in the woods by herself, or she could run and get help but that would still make everyone question what she was doing in the woods and risking Draco to freeze to death. She realised that the last option was the only way for the boy to live. She looked around one last time to make sure nobody else could see her. Then she turned to Draco and said, “I’m going to help you, but you can’t tell anyone, promise me.”  
“Please just help me” Draco cried out. Hermione took out her wand from the inner pocket of her coat. She pointed the wand at the rocks. Swished it around and flicked it as she said “Wingardium Leviosa.” Draco suddenly felt the pressure of the rocks disappear, the rocks got lifted into the air and landed next to Hermione. Draco’s face turned pale as snow as he fainted. Hermione dragged him to the main road and left him right outside the town's edge where she knew people would find him within minutes.  
She looked at the town clock and realised she’d been gone for far too long. Due to the lack of food, her stomach started aching. She walked home, tired and hungry. As she got home, she grabbed a loaf of bread and brought it with her to bed. She finished her bread quickly by her bedside, she looked out of the bedroom window hoping that Draco wouldn’t tell anyone. With a loud sigh, she threw her head into her pillows and almost instantly fell asleep and slept throughout the day.  
Hermione’s parents woke her up the next day to prepare her for church. While Hermione was eating her breakfast porridge, she thought of the events that took place yesterday. But also, looked forward to a day in church where Priest Dursley wouldn’t go for yet another witch hunt.  
Hermione and her parents went to church, as they were about to enter the church, Priest Dursley greeted everyone. Harry stood next to him and took everyone’s coats, Harry looked at Hermione after he hung up her coat and whispered, “I heard what you have been doing this week from Ron, did you manage to grow something.”  
“Yes, but it’s not safe to talk about it now, let’s talk about it after today’s service,” Hermione whispered back.  
Following Hermione, there were only a few couples of families left to enter. The Weasley family were last as usual. Hermione didn’t get a chance to talk to Ron and tell him about her success with the crops.  
Everybody had now entered the church and started to listen to Dursley talk. “Everyone, I’m coming with good news, our crops have started to grow once more, this must be God sending us a message that we are doing a great service by burning all those vile, satanic and wicked witches,” Hermione smirked at the thought that no more people would burn on the stake, and the thought that she could finally go to bed safe and not worry about how she would be the next person in line for witch hunting. Dursley continued, “but we are not safe just yet. There may still be witches among us, waiting to strike. If anyone knows of any witches in our wonderful town. Now is the time to speak up, for we don’t want to anger God by holding our tongues”  
“There is still a witch in our town!” A voice screamed from the back. Everybody turned their heads to see who spoke. Hermione’s eyes shot up and she looked to the row behind her, there she saw Draco standing up.  
“A witch you say, speak up boy, who is it?” Dursley asked shocked.  
“It’s Hermione Granger! She used magic to save me yesterday when my foot got stuck under some heavy rocks” he screamed.  
Dursley asked, “Do you have any proof of this accusation!”  
“Yes!” Draco answered while limping to the centre of the church. “I have the proof right here.” Draco held up Hermione's coat and pulled out a wand from its inner pocket. “If this isn’t proof enough, look at my leg!” Draco lifted one of his pants legs and showed his swollen and crooked leg. “Nobody but three grown men could have lifted those rocks.”  
“My god!” Dursley gasped. “Hermione is a witch” he continued, while his face  
turned red with pure anger and hatred. “Get her” Dursley shouted. Hermione quickly got up and snatched her coat and wand out of Draco’s filthy childlike hand while heading towards the exit of the church.

 

ACT 2. The Giant In The Woods

As Hermione ran for her life, she could hear the townsfolk running after her, she heard the Priest Dursley yelling “there is nowhere for you to run, little girl!” Hermione is a brilliant girl and knows this to be true, there is no possible way she could out-run the whole town; suddenly, she remembers her parents telling her never to venture into the Dark Forest for there are mythical creatures and monsters lurking in the shadows, not even the villages braves dares to enter it alone. She saw her chance for a successfully escape and started to head for the forest. This is the only way for me to get away, she told herself. “The witch is heading for the forest!” said one in the mob, “kill her before she enters!” said another. As soon as she thought she would make it she feels something big and hard hitting her in the back of her head, immediately she falls to the ground. “I hit her!” someone yelled excitedly. As she laid there on the cold and dirty ground, she could feel the mob closing in on her. She looked up and saw that It was approximately five meters left before she could enter the forest. Even if her head was aching and her eyesight blurry, she knew she couldn't stay here or else she would be burned on the stake, just like old lady McGonagall. She used all her strength to stand up, once again she desperately starts heading for the forest. As soon as she entered the forest, she no longer heard the mob running. “You won't be able to stay in there for long, daughter of Granger! When you are forced to return, we will be here waiting for you!” Mr. Filch, the church’s inquisitor, yelled.  
Hermione ran. She ran until she no longer could see the entrance to the forest. She started feeling dizzy and her eyesight was getting poor. She stopped to catch her breath, now all she could see was the thick, dark forest. There were no flowers or grass growing from the ground because the sun was blocked by the tall trees. The air in the forest was thick and heavy, like breathing smoke and it was suddenly cold like it was in the middle of winter. “If I was to be killed by a hideous monster, now would be the time,” she told herself. Suddenly from the shadows, a large figure appeared from the shadows. The dark figure approaching her with heavy steps, but it was too dark, and her eyesight was too poor from the hit to the head to see the face of the big creature. She started running once more but at this point, her legs can barely carry her. The dark figure starts chasing, she tries to run faster but she is too exhausted to run any longer. Just when she was about to give up, she sees a small glow through a crack in the trees.  
She starts to run against the light, she sees a small house that was hidden behind some tall trees. As she got closer to the house, she could feel her legs giving up. Out of pure desperation, she starts calling out for help and hoping that someone was in the house to hear her. Then she kept quiet, the beast was now standing right above her. With horror in her eyes she looked up, it was a giant, twice as tall as a normal man and at least twice as wide. Hermione fainted from exhaustion. The giants gently took her under his right arm and carried her toward the small house. He gently lays the fainted Hermione in his bed and then walks back to close the front door, but before he closes the door he looks around as if he was afraid of someone or something watching him.  
A couple of hours later Hermione wakes with a big gasp, she feels the back of her head and notices that she is wearing some sort of cloth around her head. She looks around, it appears she is inside a house. The house is only one room with a table in the centre, a fireplace to her right and a bed, which she was laying in. “Very primitive,” Hermione says. “The one who lives here must have saved me from the giant.” Then.  
\- BAM!  
The Door slams open and a giant of a man enters, carrying firewood. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard. The giant walked through the door into the little house, Hermione screams as loud as her lungs could bear. ‘Calm down, you.’ said the giant with a mighty voice. He walked up to the fireplace and places the firewood next to it.” Wh..who..who are you?” Hermione asked.  
“Me name is Hagrid,” the giant answered.  
Hermione's face turned pale. “Did you killed the person who lived her?” she asks.  
“O’course not!” He answered. Hagrid walked up to the table and pulls out an old chair to sit on “I don’t fancy killing” He says. “Not like the other giants. I live here.” “I was the one who saved yeh” Hagrid continues, “I brought yeh back here to keep yeh safe. Dangerous out there in the forest by yourself. Horrible creatures roaming around in the dark, yeh see. Why were yeh even out there on yer own?”  
Hermione curls up into a ball. “I was running away from people who wish to harm me” She answered.  
“Harm you?!” Hagrid gasps. “Why would they want to harm a young girl like yerself”  
“Because I wanted to help them, but I helped them in ways they couldn’t understand” she answered.  
Hagrid stands up and walks up the fireplace. On the fireplace hangs a big pot. Hagrid opens the lid to the pot and pours some strange yet delicious smelling fluid into a bowl. He gives the bowl to Hermione. “What is this?” she asks.  
“It is soup” Hagrid answers.  
Hermione smells the soup. It smells delicious. She looks around.  
“Do you perhaps have a spoon?” She asks.  
“Spoon? What is that?” Hagrid answers confused. “Yer drink it.”  
Hermione takes a sip of the soup. “It tastes delicious,” she says.  
Hagrid takes a seat on the bedside next to Hermione. He holds her hand and looks into her eyes. “You are safe here,” he says. Hermione smiles back. A small drop of blood starts running down her cheek. The blood from her wound has started to go through the old cloth. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any more clothes to cover up yer wound there,” said Hagrid. “That's fine,” says Hermione. “I’ll just go back to town when it’s dark to fetch some more from my parents.”  
“Okay” answers Hagrid. “But I’ll walk with yer through the forest”  
Hermione looks at Hagrid as he smiles at her. “You know, you don’t have to come with me. I can fend for myself.”  
Hagrid looks at Hermione and replies “O’course you can because it worked out so well last time.”  
“Well… I wasn’t in the right mindset, you see,” Hermione answers.  
Hagrid looks a bit confused. Hermione gets up from the bed and places her feet right next to the bed. “Where do you keep the coat I wore when you saved me?”  
Hagrid points with his sausage looking finger at a hat holder by the door. “Yer coat hangs there, but what does the coat have to do with you fending for yerself?” he asks. As Hermione slowly walked towards the robe, she says to Hagrid, “it’s not the robe itself that will help me protect myself.” When she reached the rope, she started looking in its inner pocket, she pulls out her wand. Hermione sighs calmly, relieved. Hagrid is still sitting on the bed on the other side of the room trying to figure out what Hermione was looking for, but all he could see was her back. “What is it that yer looking for?” He asks Hermione. Hermione looks back at Hagrid and smiles, she then turns around, exposing her wand.  
Hagrid looks surprised, “so yeh are telling me yer a witch?”  
“Correct!” Hermione replies. Hagrid suddenly got this confused look on him.  
“If yer a witch, why didn’t you fight back before?”  
“I told you, my friend” Hermione replies “I was not at my best, so to say.”  
Hermione takes another look at her wand as it lays in her hands. “I won’t use harmful magic on the people in the village, but if necessary, I may use it on the creatures of the forest.” Hagrid looks at her and says, “well, if yer think yer can do it, why should I be the one to stop yer.” The day went on fast, Hagrid managed to get one more cloth for the wound on Hermione's head. And as the night came and it was closing in on midnight, Hermione prepared for her trip back to the village. Before she left the house, she hugged Hagrid tight and thanked him for his hospitality. “I’ll be waiting for yer here,” said Hagrid as he waved her off. Hermione walked into the dark forest with a smile on her face knowing that she’d made a friend whom she could trust and as far as she knew, would always be there. 

 

 

 

 

 

ACT 3: The Hunting

As Hermione was making her way through the dark forest back to the town, she struggled to find her way back, her head was throbbing so much, so she had to sit down for a second. She said to herself “I must be back before the sun comes up, so the town folks don’t see me”.  
As she gathered strength to continue walking, she stood up and was determined to make it back in time. it was dark, so dark that she couldn't see more than five feet in front of her. She pulls out her wand and remembers the spell for wand light, ”Lumos” she said. The wand lightens up with a bright moon looking light. “Now I can get back home,” she said.  
Hermione put the glowing wand above her head and continued to walk through the dark forest, after an hour's walk she starts to see the sky through the thick treetops. I must be close now, she thought. So she put down her wand in case someone of the town folks was close by.  
When she finally saw the opening out of the dark forest, she ran up to the treeline of the forest to see if the towns folks were waiting for her. But when she got to the treeline and looked out over the field of the high crops, she couldn't see a soul out there. She could feel the pain at the back of her head intensifying and knew she had to hurry now. So, she snuck up to the road along the field, suddenly she heard someone coming. Hermione quickly ran into the crops field and hunched down. “We need to widen our search for that witch,” Mr. Filch said.   
“She is bound to come back soon, with that bleeding head she couldn't have made it far” the other man answered.  
Hermione was scared and cold, the soil in the field was wet and she could feel how she was about to pass out, she couldn't lay there anymore but she couldn't get up either. Her eyes started to get heavier and heavier, after a struggle with herself she gave up and passed out.  
It was almost morning when Hermione finally began to wake up.  
“Oh no! I must have passed out,” she said. “I really need to hurry now or it's going to be the end of me”. She was all wet and soggy from laying in the dirt all night, she looked around and couldn't see anybody out there, and took her chance to run to the house so she could get the bandages.  
After making it to the house without being seen, She carefully walked around to the back of the house to make sure that nobody was waiting for her inside, as she walked up to the back window Hermione heard someone coming, it was a life or death situation so she ran inside the house through the backdoor, The light was on but she couldn't see anyone in the house. She quickly made her way into her room to get the bandages for her head and so that she could run back to Hagrid in the dark forest. Staying here would endanger her parents she thought. “I hope that they’re still there,” she said while pulling out a draw from under her big closet. Then, suddenly she hears the front door open, someone is coming. Out of panic, she hides under her bed, even though it could be her parents she didn't know who she could trust. The door opens to Hermione's room. It's was Mr. Filch, he was making sure that she hadn't been back. Hermione sees how she forgot to put the drawer back under the closet. “She's been here, search the town right now. she can not get away” Mr. Filch said to his accomplices. He walked out of Hermione's room. After waiting a while Hermione rolled out from under the bed and jumped out of the window.  
“THE WITCH, SHE IS HERE” someone screamed. Someone had seen her coming out the window.  
Hermione starts to run for the fields hoping to lose them in there, as she was making her way to the dark forest. She makes it to the field, but she sees that the townsfolk are only a couple of minutes behind her, so she runs through the crops field and makes it to the dark forest. “I made it, now they won't follow me in the dark forest,” she said with a breathless voice. The townsfolk didn't follow her the last time she went into the dark forest, but this time it was different, they didn't stop at the tree line. “With God on our side, the darkness can’t get us, so I BLESS you all in God's name and may nothing do you harm”, she could hear the priest preach to the search party over the field.  
Hermione heard the speech and began to run deeper into the dark forest. the sun was on its way up, but it didn't make any difference, the sunlight didn’t make it through the thick treetops, Hermione takes out her wand “Lumos!” she yells, but fumbles over a tree log and drops the glowing wand, she jumps right back up but now she feels the blood from her wound dripping down her face. She picks up her wand and continues to run, she had a vague memory of the way to Hagrid’s house.

After a while of running, Hermione sees Hagrid’s house through the thick trees. The townsfolk were about to catch up to Hermione, so it was in just the right time that she found it.  
“HAGRID! HELP ME! Hermione screamed through the woods with her breathless voice. Hagrid runs out the house and takes Hermione under his arm, she was so exhausted that she couldn't talk so she just pointed out the window and gasps out “they are coming, I'm so, so sorry”. Hagrid runs up to the window, he sees torches everywhere, he walks to the back of the cabin and takes out the biggest mallet Hermione have ever seen from his closet. He turns to Hermione and looks at her like it was the last time they see each other, after that look he turns around and runs out to the forest.  
Hermione thought that this was her chance to run, so the ran out the door and she saw how Hagrid fought the town folks. But she could see that there was too many of them and that he was losing the fight.  
She ran to hide behind a tree and watch the town folks throw ropes on him to slow him down. After a long time struggling to fight them off, he finally was all strung up.  
Hermione could see Mr. Filch walk towards the giant man, with murder in his eyes.

Hermione saw Hagrid no longer have the energy to fight back and look at Hermione as Mr. Filch drew his sword and decapitated the giant.  
Hermione froze out of fear, as she saw the head coming off from the giant’s body.  
Mr. Filch told the town folks that they should spread out ‘She couldn’t get far so search the area” he said. Hermione snapped out of her frozen state and she started to run deeper into the forest. Hermione could hear the town folk and Mr. Filch screaming in the woods, and she felt how they came closer and closer.  
As Hermione ran deeper in the dark forest, she started to notice that the trees became wither and wither until she ran into a big cobweb, the web was thick as cotton and sticky as glue. She struggled to get out of it, but I seemed hopeless until her left arm got out. So, she grabs her wand to break free with a fire spell when she feels that the web is starting to rock. She looks up and sees a giant spider coming against her. “Looks like it’s going to be a feast tonight,” The spider said with a dark voice.  
The spider was big as a man and almost hairy as a sheep but it had a colour that matched the forest, dark as the night. “What do you want from me” Hermione asked the giant spider. “to eat your insides and lay my eggs inside of you” he answers “no, ple.. ple..please don't eat me, I've been through enough already” She snapped back at the spiders as she was tired and had had enough of being the victim.  
“There are footsteps here,” someone said from the forest. The spider looked surprised as there were not many humans that dared to walk in these parts of the forest. “You’re not the only one who wants to take my life,” Hermione said in loud voice. “DON’T you talk to me like that or I’ll bite your head off,” the spider said. “ok, but they have already killed my big hairy friend Hagrid and now they want to kill me as well, in fact, burn me on a pole for being a witch”  
“What are you saying? They killed Hagrid?” the spider said as he ran away in a hurry. The spider started to attack the townsfolk and Hermione could hear how they screamed out of excruciating pain. After a while the screaming ceased and then she could hear the townsfolk again but this time, they were coming towards her.  
She couldn't get lose from the spider cob, but she managed to get her hand loose but when she did something struck her hard in the back of the head, and all went dark as the night lost its moon.

 

 

 

 

 

ACT 4. Fire and Brimstone

Darkness was all that Hermione could perceive. In front of her, behind, below and above. All around her, deep and never-ending darkness that inspired only apathy and a sense of doom. For a moment Hermione let her mind wander into this darkness, getting accustomed to it, even comfortable. Even if it was scary and empty, it was quiet. There was no one chasing her here, in this all-encompassing darkness she was finally free. Hermione could not wait to show it to Hagri...  
“Hagrid!”, Hermione squealed with a weak voice, waking up to the same kind of darkness that inhabited her dreams.  
“Oh no, no, no”, Hermione sobbed, as images of what had happened flashed by. The sobbing slowly turned into piercing shrieks of agony as she despaired over her situation and all the death that she had borne witness to.  
“It is all my fault... if I had just...” Hermione said to herself with her crackling voice, as she was slowly but surely regaining her senses and composure. She started to try to move her limbs, which were cold and slow to respond. Her head also felt like it would explode at the slightest movement. After putting some effort in, she managed to push herself up to a sitting position, feeling hard stone at her back just like below her. She reached upwards and felt her hand graze stone above her as well. Looking forward she could see the contours of metal bars imprisoning her in her cold and dark space.  
“I can see” she gasped as she realized that there was a faint light after all coming from somewhere. Leaning forward and pressing her face against the bars she tried to ascertain where it came from, but to her frustration the source of light was out of her point of view. She did realize where she was though. A couple of months ago Hermione and other children had been taken below the church into the crypts to be shown the small and wretched prison cells built there for whatever witches and heretics the clergy could get their hands on. Hermione suspected it was an attempt to instill a fear of God into their hearts. Hermione reached for her wand, but her hand closed around empty air as she realized that it had been taken from her. She slammed her clenched fist against the metal bars, and immediately regretted her decision as a sharp jolt of pain shot pierced her head and spread through her body. The faint light went out, and her eyes closed again as she fell to the ground unconscious.

Did she sleep for minutes, hours, or days? Hermione did not know, her sense of time seemed lost in the darkness. Though as she woke up to a loud noise there was no more darkness. On the other side of the bars, there were two men, their faces blurry due to the light from their torches blinding her. They seemed to be struggling with unlocking her prison. Behind them was another figure dressed in elegant priestly clothing, with a big cross hanging from a chain on his neck. It was the priest, Dursley. His face was not blurry or shadowy, it shone brightly as if it was the source of the light. Hermione met his eyes and was horrified when she saw how much hatred and disgust permeated from them. His eyes were fixated on her, not blinking once. She now noticed that he was recanting, violently, something from the bible he held in his hands. She did not need to listen to his words to understand the meaning of his words, that was clear enough by seeing how he looked at her. Hermione made a desperate plea for help.  
“Please, please help me I-”  
“Silence! Vile creature of the dark, I will not let your words poison my mind”, Dursley responded. “There is no helping someone like you, we need to rid ourselves of your kind, and let God pass judgment on you.”  
The metal bars swung open as the two shadowy men grabbed her and dragged her out. In her weak state, Hermione did not even try to put up a fight. Up and up they went, towards the surface, Hermione reckoned. Dursley leading the way, all the while blabbering on with his words of God.

The doors to the main entrance of the church swung open with a loud creak, and Hermione was met with a roar from hundreds of people, hitting her like a wall. A mixture of vile words, threats, and lamentation surrounded her as she and her captors pressed on through the crowd. The blinding light of the sun and her ever-present headache dulled her senses and perception of her surroundings. Though if she tried hard enough, she could read many emotions in the faces and eyes of the crowd: hatred, anger, disgust, sorrow, pity. However, there was one common denominator in the faces she saw. No matter how minor or concealed, there was always fear in the eyes of every single person she looked at. Fear of what they did not understand, fear of her.  
“Please listen, I am not dangerous I only wanted to be helpful” she tried to plead with the crowd, but her voice did not carry enough strength. Tears started to stream down Hermione’s cheeks as more and more hatred was directed towards her, and she suddenly wished she was back in her cell, in the empty darkness where she was all alone. This urge was reinforced when she saw what awaited her at their destination. A large amount of wood and sticks was amassed at the town centre, they intended to burn her at the stake.  
“No, you cannot do this! It is not fair!” Hermione screamed and now started to physically resist and jerk around in a desperate attempt to break free. Her arms carried little power in her current state though, and her captors pressed on bit by bit. When they reached the pile of wood and sticks, she was brought to its centre and bound to a pole erected there, slightly elevated. The roar of the crowd died down as Dursley beckoned them to silence.  
“We have gathered here today to, by the grace of God, dispatch this vile creature, this witch, to the eternal fire.”  
“Wait, wait, wait, you cannot do this, please I am Innocen-”  
“INNOCENT!” Dursley snapped, interrupting Hermione. “You are anything but innocent. The vile witchcraft of your kind has infested this town for far too long. Like an open wound, it has begun to rot and fester and must be cauterized by holy fire before it is too late.” Dursley, having paced toward Hermione as he spoke, now stood only half a meter from her face. Spit and froth going everywhere as he went into a frenzy. “Countless lives have been lost to your heresy. By destroying our harvests, trying to infest the minds of our children, leading good men astray in the woods, and diluting our faith in the one true God.” Men with torches now gathered at the edges of the woodpile, as Dursley continued his rant, now turning to the crowd and moving away ever so slowly. “Remember it is not our place to cast judgment, in God we must trust. He will burn away this heresy, he is the salvation we must turn to and believe in. Isaiah 30:33 ‘The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it’. God will pass true judgment on this vile one, we will merely send her to him.” The wood was set ablaze, and panic now started to take over Hermione's mind. The fire, coming from all sides, rapidly approached her.  
“Can you not see he is the evil one? Have you all lost your minds?!” Hermione shouted at the crowd with blurry faces, distorted by the heat from the flames.  
“Evil?!” Dursley erupted into a maniacal laugh. “Your words betray you. Your heresy has twisted your mind, you know not of what you speak. I have the blessing of God vile one, what do you have?”  
“Friends and loved ones”, Hermione thought. Trying to find the face of a friendly soul in the crowd. Mom, dad, Harry, Ron, anyone? The smoke was now not only making her cough as she gasped for air, but it also made it impossible to distinguish any individuals face on the other side. The fire started to lick her legs, expecting searing pain as the priest’s damned holy fire consumed her, Hermione was pleasantly surprised when she felt no pain. The warmth of the fire was all she felt, as she was slipping into a familiar darkness. She dreaded the darkness. But, would it be so bad, she wondered? At last, she would be truly free.

 

Epilogue: A twisted world

Harry sat behind a big rock far out in the fields. Staring at the ground, contemplating what he could have done differently. He was not crying, he had no tears left. He did not react to the sounds of someone running, approaching quickly.  
“Harry... I thought I would find you here” Ron said with a slight shiver in his voice. He had been crying too, that much was obvious by looking at his face.  
“I would like to be alone Ron”, Harry said quietly.  
Ron seemed taken aback by this. “That is not fair Harry, she was my friend just as much as yours.” Ron slumped down next to Harry. Both staring blankly at the ground in front of them. It was true what Ron said. All three of them had been friends for as long as Harry could remember.  
“Those damned Dursleys, it is all their fault. They have twisted the minds of half the townsfolk.”  
“Not everyone, though”, Harry responded. Remembering the scene from earlier that day. Hermione’s parents had been kept at the edge of the crowd, out of sight from Hermione. Her mother had tried to force her way through the crowd, and it took six of Dursley’s men to keep her and Hermione’s father away. Others disliked the whole ordeal, but most were too afraid to speak up.   
“And I do not agree with you, Ron. The Dursley’s might be evil, yes. But it is as much our fault for being so powerless. We failed because we did not have the power to stop this. We just stood there and now our friend is dead!” Harry became increasingly agitated.  
“Harry calm down it’s not-”  
“Yes, it is our fault! And everyone else's who just stood there and watched! If we only could master magic the way Hermione did, we could have stopped it.”  
Nature all around them, most visibly nearby trees, recoiled as Harry’s anger and sorrow pressed outward like an aura. Ron’s face had gone pale and he too seemed to be pushed away. Ron, seemingly scared, ran off.  
“Ron, I didn't mean to...” Harry started, but Ron was nowhere to be seen. Harry slumped down again with his back to the rock, to once again contemplate what he could have done differently.  
A couple of minutes went by, and it was now getting dark, but Harry did not notice. A rustling of the grass made Harry look up since he thought it was probably Ron coming back.  
“Ron, sorry for that before”, Harry said.  
“No need to apologize, it is only natural”, an unfamiliar and peculiar voice replied.  
“Who are you?” Harry replied, cautiously looking up at the shadowy figure.  
“I am a friend Harry, here, have this as a token of my goodwill”, reaching out a bony hand and dropping a stick into Harry’s hand.  
“What?” The stick Harry now held in his hand was Hermione’s wand. Tears began to fill up Harry’s eyes. “Thank you” Harry muttered quietly, as he weighed the wand in his hand, feeling as if this was a part of Hermione that survived.  
“How did you get this?”  
“Harry, I imagine you have a lot of questions, but now is not the time for questions. Now is it time to take our leave, the villagers will be out searching for you soon,” the shadowy figure said, beckoning him to follow.  
Harry was a bit dumbfounded. “What do you mean?”  
“You hate the Dursley’s, they murdered your friend, can you really go back to that village and live with them?”  
“I... I do not know...”  
“Then come with me, you have potential, but I will give you power, power beyond measure, power to avenge your friend and protect your loved ones so that they are never hurt again” the figure spoke now having circled around Harry, ending up whispering in his ear. “Together, we might even discover a way to bring loved ones back.”  
“Hermione...” Overwhelmed by emotions and swayed by the offerings of the shadowy figure, Harry followed him. Blinded by his hatred for the Dursleys, he ignored his gut feeling telling him to run away from this person. However, he did muster enough courage to ask a question.  
“Might I ask... who are you?  
The dark figured turned to Harry and said with a sinister grin on its face, “I have been blessed with many names, the Christians call me Beelzebub, some even don’t dare to speak my name but, you may call me by my true name. Voldemort”.


End file.
